Mysuru’s long-pending zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat elections moved closer to implementation after the state government announced a draft reservation list for the rural local bodies, setting the number of ZP seats at 46 and TP seats at 163. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwara Khandre has said the elections are planned by the end of the year.
The draft notification has triggered preparations among the Congress, BJP and JD(S), as well as among aspirants seeking party tickets. Candidates whose constituencies have changed under the new reservation arrangement have begun exploring other segments, according to the report.
The revised list reduces the number of Mysuru Zilla Panchayat constituencies from 53 to 46, while increasing the number of taluk panchayat constituencies from 144 to 163. The previous Mysuru ZP’s tenure ended in December 2021, leaving the rural local bodies without elected councils for several years.
The latest figures also differ from an earlier draft list. That notification had proposed 46 ZP seats and 160 TP seats, after which objections were invited. The latest draft therefore retains the proposed ZP strength but adds three TP constituencies.
Mysuru district’s ZP seats are distributed across its taluks. Mysuru, T Narasipura, Periyapatna and Hunsur taluks have six seats each. Nanjangud has nine seats, KR Nagar has three, Saligrama and HD Kote have four each, and Saragur has two seats.
The seat count has changed over time. Mysuru ZP had 46 seats two decades ago, before the number rose to 49 and then to 53 seats in 2021. The latest draft returns the ZP strength to the level recorded two decades earlier, while creating a larger TP structure than in the previous arrangement.
Reservation for women covers half of the 46 ZP seats, with 23 seats earmarked for them. Ten ZP seats have been reserved for Scheduled Castes and seven for Scheduled Tribes. Of the 163 TP seats, 84 have been reserved for women.
The reservation list is significant for the electoral process because it determines which constituencies will be open to candidates from specified categories, including women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The changes have already affected the plans of potential contestants, particularly those whose existing constituencies have acquired a different reservation status.
The announcement has also revived political activity around rural administration in the district. Parties are assessing possible candidates and constituencies ahead of the proposed elections, while aspirants are seeking nominations for seats shaped by the new delimitation and reservation arrangement.
The government’s next steps will include proceeding with the draft reservation process and addressing the objections invited against the proposed arrangement. The elections are expected to be held by the end of the year, subject to completion of the formal process.
